The dilemma

So, recently I have been starting to want a dog. Andy loves seeing and playing with dogs. Tonight we were at Scott & Megan's house. Andy loved playing with their dog Bella. He just sat under the table with her and pet her head. Bella gave him tons of kisses, but Andy seemed to love it. We looked under the table at one point and Andy was trying to put a dog toy in Bella's mouth. I was surprised how fearless Andy was. He pretty much had his hand in Bella's mouth. It was so fun to watch them play together.

Now, my dilemma is.... I don't want to be stuck with finding a babysitter for a dog anytime we want to leave town. It seems like we are gone a ton during the summer, so this would be a pain. I also don't want to deal with poo and pee on our lawn. I know you can train them to go in a certain area, but still, I don't want to deal with that stuff. Another problem is we would have to fence off our backyard. Fortunately the dog I want (a Labradoodle or a goldendoodle) doesn't shed, so that gives the pro side of getting a dog one point. What should I do? I know everything I just said would point to not getting a dog, but I also think it would be fun to have a good family dog to take camping, on river trips, running etc. Plus, how could I pass up having a cute dog like these?

Books

On my way home from work yesterday I realized why I don't read anymore. I don't pick fun, captivating books. Heres a little back ground on why. I think I have a phobia of wasting time. It drives Charles crazy. I can't sit and talk to him, I have to be folding laundry, doing dishes or some other task while we talk. I don't watch TV or do anything relaxing during the day. I am always thinking of things that need to be done. So, when I read I want that time to be productive too. So, I choose books that will improve an area of my life or give me some applicable knowledge for my career, church etc. For instance, the last book I read was Money Mastery. Don't get me wrong, it was a really good book and gave me ideas on how to manage our money better. But, it wasn't one of those books I was just dying to read if I had a spare second. I kind of read it out of duty. Charles is always telling me to take time to relax, so I think I want to get back into reading. Do any of you have some suggestions? I'm not a fantasy fan and I don't want anything depressing or scary. Hold off on the crazy long books too, sorry ladies, no Gone With the Wind for me!